Electric cut-out.



No. 664,5Il. Patented Dec. 25,1900. J. H. 8v. H. TRUMBULL. ELECTRICCUT-OUT.

[Application filed pr. 17, 1899.)

(No Model.)

`3o ner surface of the base-piece.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. TRUMBULL AND HENRY TRUMBULL, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT,

ASSIGNORS TO THE TRUMBULL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC CUT-OUT.

SPECIFICATION formingpartof Letters Patent No. 664,511, dated December25, 1900.

Application iled April 17, 1899. Serial No. 713,232- (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it noa/y concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. TRUMBULL and HENRY TRUMBULL, citizens ofthe United States,and residents of Hart-ford,in the county 5 of Hartfordand State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improve-Inentsin Electric Cut-Outs, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, whereby any one skilled in the art can make xo anduse the same.

This invention relates to the general class of electric cut-outs inwhich a fusible connection is formed between a main line and a branchcircuit, and is herein shown as applied to a rosette commonly used tosupport the ordinary incandescent lamp from a wall or ceiling alongwhich the main-line wires are located.

To this end onrinvention consists in the dezo tails of such parts andtheir combination, as hereinafter described, and more particularlypointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings forming part hereof, Figure l is a View inside elevation of the improved cut-out with part broken awaytoillustrate the construction. Fig. 2 isa View in cross-section throughthe center of the basepiece of the cut-out with the contacts shown infull line. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the in- Fig. 4 is a plan view of theinner surface of the cap. Fig. 5 is a detail view in cross-sectionthrough a part of thehase-piece, showing a modified form of contact.Fig. 6 is a perspective view 3 5 showing the contact-arm that is borneby the are located on diametrically opposite sides of the base-piece insuitable sockets ct', and they project a sufficient distance beyond theedge of the base-piece to enable the main wires to be attached, as bymeans of clamp-screws d, 5o in the ordinary manner.

The contact-pieces care held in the sockets, as by means of screws e,extending through openings in the base-piece, and in addition to theclamping means for holding the line-wire they have preferably Within thelimits of the base-piece a loop c', the opening through which is locatedtransversely of the radius of the base-piece.

The capfis made of porcelain or other in- 6o sulating material, havingthe usual recesses on the inner face, within which are locatedcontact-arms g and the fuse-clamps h. The contact-arms g are located onthe cap in such position that when the base-piece and cap are united theone on the other the raised portion of an arm will enter a socket c2 ina loop c and serve to bind the base-piece and the cap together by thespring action of. the arm as well as by the positive engagement of 7othe parts. The contact-arm is provided at its outer end with a shoulderg' and near the bend ot' the arm with a stop g2, the distance betweenthe stop and the shoulder on the end of the arm being substantiallyequal to the width of the loop c'. The object of this construction is tohold the cap firmly against rotation in one direction, which is opposedby the stop g2, and with a yielding grasp in the other direction,movement in this latter di- 8o rectiou being opposed by the frictionalhold of the shoulder g of the arm upon the edge of the opening c2through the loop c' in the contact-piece c. Each contact-arm is securedto the cap in any convenient manner, as by means of screws, and througheach arm also passes one of the screws h to hold the fuse. At the otherend of each fuse-clamp the screw t' serves as a means of binding theclamp upon the inner edge of the branch Wire la. 9o

As in the ordinary form of rosette, in connection with which ourinvention is shown as embodied, there are two contact-pieces on the baseand two con tact-arms corresponding and registering with thecontact-pieces, but located on the cap. The projecting arms of thecontacts g extend in a line transversely across the radius of the capand in proper povengagement and disengagement of the somewhat broad armthis latch g3 is arranged at an angle with instead of squarely acrossthe arm. The result of this arrangement is that when the front end ofthe latch strikes the loop it rides up on the edge'of the latch on whatmay be termed a single line rather than upon the whole surface across`the breadth of the arm, as would be the case if this latch werearranged so that its extreme end encountered and rested along the edgevof the loop for the full breadth of the arm. On the application of'force to unlock the parts the other end of the latch encounters thefar.- ther edge of the loop and is in the same man.- ner lifted withless frictional resistance to the turning movement than if the latch wasarranged directly across the arm.

In Fig. 5 a modilied form of the improvement is shown as embodied inconcealed work-that is, the cut-out is one in which the main wire isconnected by means which do not cause it to show on the outside of thecutout. In this latter form the numeral 1 denotes the base ofthecnt-out, wh-ich is of insulating material, with the .contact-piece -2located in a socket wholly within the limits `of the base-piece andhaving a tapered surface 3 on the end nearest the center of thebasepiece, the clamp-screw 4 being seated in a threaded socket in thecontact-piece and the usual washer arranged to be clamped down upon theend of the main wire 5, which passes through `the hole 6 in thebase-piece. Where a single hole is provided for both of the main wires,a bridge 7 is left transversely across the hole, so as to provide meansfor keeping the inner ends of the main wire out of contact with eachother. Itis obvious that two holes may be formed through the body of theporcelain instead of the single opening shown, if desired.

The form of attaching means in which our improvement resides provides asimple and extremely strong means for holding the cap to the base, asthe loop may be of any sufficient width to secure complete electricalcontact between the parts while it holds the cap and the cover againstaccidental rotary movement in either direction, as already described.

We claim as 'our inventionl. In combination in an electric cut-out, abase-piece, contacts on the base-piece each having a loop with atransverse opening and a clamp for a line-wire, a cap for the basepiece,contact-pieces on the cap with springarms that ,enter and engage theloop, the said arm being provided with a friction-.catch at the outerend arranged in position to engage the loop, all substantially asdescribed.

2. In combination in an kelec-tric cut-out, a base-piece, ,contacts onthe base-piece each having a loop with a transverse opening and a clampfor a line-wire, a removable cap for the base-piece, contact-pieces onthe cap -with spring-arms that register with and engage respectiveloops, the arms bei-ng provided with a stop and on the outer e-nd alatch located at an 4angle across the arm, all substantially asdescribed.

3. In combination in an yelectric cut-ont, a base provided withcontactsfor the line-wires, and a cap removably secured to the basepiece, .eachcontact on the base-piece having a projecting loop with a trans-verseopen-ing, and the cap having contact-pieces that register with thecontact-pieces on the 'base and have a rspring-arm :adapted to enter andlie within the socket in the loop, ,and a stop arranged to ,engage theloop.

JOHN H. THUMBULL. HENRY THUMULL.

Witnesses:

CHAs. L. BURDETT, WALTER S. INGRAM.

